Testing Available

Testing Available

A variety of tests are available at St. Francois County Health Center Some services require the following: a physicans order and an appointment.Please call for fees that may involve these services.To schedule an appointment please call (573) 431-1947 ext.131

Bood Sugar Tests: Fridays, 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Call for current charges

Cholesterol Screening

Lipids panel includes Triglycerides, LDL, HDL, Total Cholesterol

A Fasting Perod of 12 Hours is Required prior to cholesterol screening.

Sexually Transmitted Disease Testing
HIV/AIDS and STD’s Sexually Transmitted Disease testing and counseling are confidential.
Testing for STD’s and HIV/AIDS is available by appointment only!
This protects the client’s confidentiality and ensures that appropriate staff are available when you visit.

HIV and Syphilis testing is free. Charges for other STD’s vary.

Please call SFCHC for pricing information at 573-431-1947 EXT. 141

Lead Poisoning

What is Lead Poisoning?

A disease caused by swallowing or inhaling lead – even small
amounts of chipped lead paint or leaded dust.

Lead is most harmful to young children ( under 6 years). Why?

They put everything into their mouths and their bodies absorb lead
more easily than adults.

Pregnant women who are exposed to lead are also at risk because the
ingested or inhaled lead can cross the placenta and expose the unborn fetus.

What are the effects of Lead Poisoning?

Since lead is easily absorbed by a child’s growing body, lead can interfere with the developing organs and the brain.

Low Levels of Lead May:

Damage the nervous system, including the brain

Interfere with growth

Harm hearing

Make learning difficult

Cause behavior problemsA child with lead poisoning may be:Easily excited, unable to concentrate, or become easily upsetHigh Levels of Lead or Repeated Exposure to Lead May:Cause mental retardation, comas, convulsions, or even death

What are the signs of Lead Poisoning?

Stomachache and cramps

Constipation

Irritability

Headaches

Fatigue

Frequent Vomiting

Sleep disorders

Poor appetite

Since lead poisoning is a result of continued exposure with a gradual accumulation in the child’s body, signs and symptoms of lead poisoning often mimic other problems.

What can be done if a child has lead poisoning?

Good and frequent hand washing is the best defense against lead poisoning in small children. Since lead must be ingested to cause poisoning, it is vital to keep hands and fingers clean before the child puts them into their mouth. Always wash hands before eating, nap-time, and at bedtime.

Severely poisoned children are treated with a medication – chelation therapy – which requires hospitalization. This may reduce the level of lead in the body, but may not completely eliminate it.

The most important thing is to prevent exposure or prevent further exposure to lead.

Sources of Lead

Nationwide, lead contaminated paint is the major source of lead poisoning. Chipped or peeling paint is easy for a young child to pick up and to put into their mouths. Lead paing had been found on:

Windows and Window Sills Porches and Fences Toys and Furniture

Doors, Frames and Sills Stairs Railings and Banisters

Walls and Ceilings

Exterior Surfaces of buildings and play equipment

Soil can be contaminated by chips and dust from outside paint, lead based insecticides, highway pollution, and from dust from mine waste.

Watermay be contaminated by lead water pipes, plumbing fittings, and lead solder.

Food can be contaminated if:

Grown near heavily traveled roads or other sources of lead pollution

Stored or baked in poorly glazed potter

Prepared by someone with lead dust on their hands

Packaged in cans with lead seams

Stored in leaded crystal for long periods of time

Air can be contaminated from:

Dust from renovations or remodels Antique pewter

Drapery, window, and fishing weights Batter casings

Some folk medicines and folk cosmetics Vinyle miniblinds

Auto mechanic work Hobby paints

Bullet re-loading or target shooting Stained glass

Preventing Exposure to Lead

Be alert for chipping and flaking paint – inside and outside of the home

Provide a well-balanced diet that is high in iron, protein and calcium

Use safe (lead free) interior paints

Cover bare soil with grass or shrubs

How to know if a child has lead poisoning?

The only sure way to know if a child has lead poisoning is through a blood test. Children should receive a blood test for lead poisoning twice before they are 2 years old.

Lead Screening

Lead testing for children from 6 months of age to 6 years oldis available at St. Francois County Health Center. Please call 573-431-1947, ext. 126, to make an appointment to have your child tested and check on the cost.

Are you or your child at risk of lead poisoning?

Answer the following questions?

Does your child . . .

. . . have siblings (brothers/sisters) or playmates that have
or did have lead poisoning?

. . . have cousins with whom they visit frequently that have
or did have lead poisoning?

. . . live in or frequently visit a house or daycare built before 1950?

. . . reside in or visit a house built before 1978 with recent
or on-going renovations or remodeling within the last six months?

If the answer to any of the above question isyes, then a lead test should be done for your child. Contact St. Francois County Health Center to schedule an appointment for your child’s lead blood test. Call 573-431-1947, ext. 126.